Monthly Theme Day: Doorways

The entrance to the Crusader's Hospital at the Church of the Madonna dei Martiri. For more information on this church, click here. This "hospital" is now used as a gallery space.

The first day of each month is Theme Day in the City Daily Photo community. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Patron Saint's Festival

All types and sizes of boats accompany the Madonna around and around the port in Molfetta's patron saint's festival.
Rowboats

Motorboats

Boats in uniform

And some somewhat undressed!

It's That Time of Year Again

The Saint Conrad/Madonna of the Martyrs patron saint's festival is held every year from September 6-9. It is always a mix of the sacred and the profane, so I thought I'd show you a bit of both this year.

The Madonna is carried in a procession (top photo) from her church to the port, where she is greeted by enthusiastic crowds.

Some faces in the crowd...

Once she arrives at the port, she is loaded onto the middle of three fishing boats which have been tied together for the occasion. In the photo below, the boats are awaiting her arrival.

She is then escorted around the port for a few hours by anyone and everyone with a more or less seaworthy vessel. More on that tomorrow...

Madonna of the Martyrs Church

Yesterday's statue stands just across from this church which is home to the venerated statue of the Madonna of the Martyrs that I showed you during the festival of Saint Conrad in early September.

The first written documents that refer to this church date back to 1162 where it is mentioned as a chapel annexed to the hospital for pilgrims enroute or returning from the Holy Land (i.e., crusaders). In the photo you can see a stone wall with two flags, the hospital lies behind that wall, you can still visit it today. It is believed that there was a previous chapel on the same site and a pagan worshipping place previous to that.

The church we see today is Neogothic in style. Besides housing the statue of the Madonna which is said to be named Glikophylousa and to have been carried back from the "Orient" at the end of the 12th century by crusaders, the church complex also hosts a community of monks. It is possible to lodge with them when visiting Molfetta. For information, consult the following site.

This video is rather poor in quality, but it shows the church from a different angle and yesterday's statue is also visible.

Madonna and Child

This statue is located in front of the Madonna dei Martiri church at the north end of town. I don't know the name of the sculpture or year of installation, or anything, unfortunately...I forgot to take notes when I shot the photo! Currently I am not getting out of the house much as my younger son is having some health problems and is confined to bed. But I promise to find out more about this statue and let you know as soon as possible!

I wanted to post the photo even without all the details because one of my readers, Lagrasta, whose family comes from Molfetta, although he lives in the USA, mentioned that he loved this statue. At least, I believe this is the one he had in mind! (Let me know if this is not the right one, Lagrasta!)

Today I received the Blogging Friends Forever Award from Petrea of Pasadena Daily Photo (and other!) fame. I am so thrilled to receive this award because I admire Petrea and her blog for her thought-provoking photos and writing. I think it's especially nice that it's an award for "friends." I'm honored to be a friend of Petrea! We need all the friends we can get, I say!

Now, I get to give the award in turn to five bloggers, according to the following rules:
1. Only five people are allowed.
2. Four have to be dedicated followers of your blog.
3. One has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and live in another part of the world.
4. You must link back to whoever gave you the award.

My award recipients are:

Hilda of My Manila, who is perhaps my most faithful comment-leaver. I am always thrilled to hear what she has to say about my photos!

Michelle of Bleeding Espresso, who, whether she knows it or not, was one of my very first blogging inspirations!

Fabrizio of Torino Daily Photo, who has offered me kind support from the very beginning!

Kimy of Mouse Medicine and Lakewood Daily Snap, whose work is inspiring and moving. I thank her for her comments and support which have meant a lot to me!

My new friend is Nobu of Funabashi Daily Cell Phone Photo whose photos take me back to my days in Japan and whose haiku are truly lovely!

Take a moment to visit my friends at their blogs, I think you'll enjoy them!

Saint Conrad's Festival, part 2

There are many elements that put together make up the patron saint's festival in Molfetta. A large portion of the harbour area is taken over by stands selling just about everything you can imagine, from clothes to African drums to cheap toys guaranteed to last just till you get them home. There is a carnival with rides and games of skill and chance.

But the key event is the procession that carries the statue of the Madonna of the Martyrs from her home church along the harbour to the main jetty. There she is loaded onto three fishing boats that have been tied together and is carried around the harbour accompanied by anyone and everyone who has some sort of vessel that floats: motorboats, sailboats, jetskis, rowboats, dinghies, you name it. The main objective is to yell and blow your boat's horn as long and loud as you can.

On board the three boats carrying the statue are all the friends and family of the boat owners, plus priests, monks, a band and dozens of young men who pass the time by diving off the boat into the fetid waters of the harbour!

The Madonna is led around the port for several hours before the boats dock at the other end and she is lovingly unloaded and carried to the Cathedral where she rests until the following Sunday when yet another procession carries her back home to her own church.

Everyone gets decked out for the event...including the buildings!

Molfettans Around the World

Molfettans, like Italians from all over the nation, but particularly the South, have emigrated to the four corners of the earth in search of a better life and opportunities. This phenomenon began in the late 1880s, if I've got my history right, and continues today. Some city streets are named after these emigrants. Via Molfettesi del Venezuela is dedicated to those Molfettans living in Venezuela. There is also Via Molfettesi d'Argentina, Via Molfettesi d'America, and so on.

Great numbers of these emigrants return to Molfetta each year for the patron saint's festival held on and around September 8. The patron saint of the city is Saint Conrad (who is said to have died nearby on his way home from the crusades), but the Madonna of the Martyrs also plays an important role during the festival.

I'll post more about the festival over the weekend.